Ads and Blogger Awards

Posted by random olio

So I just learned that you might be seeing ads on my blog. (From what I can tell it happens when you click into the complete blog post.) In further researching, I found that I can remove it by paying WordPress a yearly fee, but I decided — forget that. Instead, I am going to self-host my blog and in turn have the ability to have many other options, widgets, and resources. Instead of just self-hosting my blog I have decided to also change the look and feel of Random Olio and get rid of those annoying ads.

Thanks to WordPress the ads just started appearing. No notification, I just found these details about these ads on their website. So far I have seen a few YouTube video ads and I have been told there has also been a pest control video too. Thank you for your patience and for ignoring these annoying ads until I can finish the upgrade to my site!

On a different note, I was nominated for the Lovely Blogger award, by: World on a Platter and for a 2nd time the Versatile Blogger award, this time by: The Usual Bliss. Thank you both for the nominations! I thought I would handle the response here in a combined post. So 5 more things about me (sorry I am breaking the rules, I am supposed to have 7 things, but I am trying to keep it short).

I do not cook. I do not really know how. After 5 summers of 4-H baking I would call myself a baker.
I am direct and sometimes have no sensor whatsoever.
I will stand up for those I love, so do mess with those dear to me.
I love babies. I do not have one of my own yet, but am addicted to precious little babies.
I am a sucker for anything with salt on it. Sorry sugar, you play 2nd fiddle.

I already nominated folks in this post, but will add a few more for the Lovely Blogger Award:

Roost

not without salt (such a clever name)

Paper Morning

Design Crush

Side of the Road Sessions (mentioned in older post, but the site is newly redesigned and launched!)

Thank you again for the nominations!

How you made them feel…

Posted by random olio

Thank you to the folks at Delivering Happiness for designing a great inspiring image. They have created downloadable wallpaper with the following quote:

I love this idea. It resonates with me. I think we may vaguely remember what people say or do, but our feelings run deep and we usually ALWAYS remember how we felt. Regardless of whether that feeling is good or bad we remember. If it is the tone of words that were used that make you feel small, or the gratitude of the words that make you confident and appreciated, how you FEEL sticks.

It is a good reminder near the end of the week. How are you treating others? Do you show your appreciation for what they do for you, and how they make your life easier? Do you notice when someone is having a rough day and take the time to check in on them? Do you take your frustration out on others? This is my reminder to think about how I might make others feel. What is my intention? How does my tone come across to others?

Remember how your actions might make others feel!

Nostalgia: Garbage Pail Kids

Posted by random olio

I was a child in the 1980’s. One of the things I enjoyed (I think with lots of other kids of that era) were Garbage Pail Kids. I had not thought of them in ages until I came across them on this website. You can order an iPhone case in the Garbage Pail Kid of your choice. I hear the cards are also making a comeback.

I remember my grandma saying: “Seriously, Tami those cards are raunchy. Why would you spend your money on such filth?” (said with a flair of disdain for the choices I made). I always laughed. She did not get it. Although, I do not think I ever was truly enamored with these cards, I think it was just the rage at the time. You purchased them, collected them, traded them, and eventually lost interest. I have to admit, looking at them now many years later, they are creative, but yes raunchy and a bit pointless. If you think about it, a kid collects a baseball card, because of the talent, batting average, and amazing career of a specific athlete (for the most part). What amazing intrigue is there with a Garbage Pail Kid?

It even looks like folks are paying quite a lot for these ‘raunchy’ cards. Ebay lists 22,919 results when you search: Garbage Pail Kids. Shocking. Well I got a few chuckles out of myself as I scrolled through to remind myself of the different cards. Although I could not for the life of me remember any of them. I am surprised that kids today would find them remotely interesting. They have so many other toys and games to interest them and keep them constantly plugged into technology. Is it just the gross factor?

Ah well, I am done contemplating the future of Leaky Lindsay and Drippy Dan.

Happy weekend to all!

A weekend of favorite things…

Posted by random olio

Happy Friday! So it is ALMOST the weekend. What do you have planned? I am looking forward to the weekend, to relaxing, spending time with my hubby, sleeping, some good food, and getting caught up on a few things. I recently blogged about the book: “All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending” by Laura Vanderkam. She talks about how we can have better weekends with just a bit of planning. Some weekends could be on the frugal side and some weekends we could splurge a bit. What would your ideal weekend look like? Here is an excerpt on this topic in her book:

“What would it be like to fill a day, or even better, a whole weekend, with one’s favorite things? How would one do that? What are those favorite things? And most important for the sake of this book, what would that cost?” page 109-110

So my ideal “frugal” weekend with my favorite things: It would start with sleeping in, then getting my run in, showering and heading into Portland for a yummy breakfast. If I were to pick my favorite place in Portland for breakfast it would be VQ (Veritable Quandary). Afterwards, going with my hubby to explore new boutiques in town. Exploring new boutiques gets my creative juices flowing and inspires and encourages me to look at design, patterns, colors, and then when I come home I want to paint, write, and explore what has interested me on our boutique adventures. In the evening, I would want to snuggle on the couch and watch a movie. Just a top of mind ideal weekend.

I thought I would also share a few photos that we found while out exploring recently. This we found in Santa Barbara, California. It is a fun way to grow plants, using an old or used wine rack.

planter idea in Santa Barbara

This chair (I cannot imagine how much it weighs) we found at Anthropologie. I love it. Not at all comfortable, but just a clever design using old radiators!

chair in Anthropologie

What would your ideal weekend look like?

Happy weekend to you – hope you have some sun!

Dance Naked!!

Posted by random olio

Happy Monday to everyone! How was your weekend? There is sun here in Portland which is making me a bit giddy, maybe because my iPhone says rain for the rest of the week. I had a full weekend. We spent much of Saturday running errands around town and Sunday cleaning. Yes, cleaning again. Due to the rain and slightly warmer temperatures, our house became the home of ants in many of our rooms. We are used to it, we have lived here a few years, and they always come out in armies this time of year. It always gets old chasing them down. Ants are ants, I do not mind them, what I do mind is when they are crawling on my counters, or get anywhere near my bed. So after chasing them around the house, we usually always clean a ton, in hopes that they will not come back, and maybe just to clear our head of all the ants we have seen.

In honor of giddiness, sun, and that it is now April, I wanted to encourage you to: DANCE NAKED this week!

framed print on our wall

I love this print. I purchased it at the Lake Oswego Art Festival a few years back and framed it. For a long time it was over my desk and I would look at it while I worked. Now it is in our hallway. It reminds me to not work so hard, to get up and dance to music, to play, be free and have fun! On occasion, I get right to the point and dance naked!

Go enjoy your day, be playful, and if you feel so inspired – then DANCE NAKED!